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Secret History leak
The Secret History leak was a major security failure that resulted in the publication of classified information regarding the history of the ISDF, in particular Project Pedigree, to the internet via the Society for the Freedom of Truth and Pandemic Watch. A significant amount of the information contained within the leak is incorrect, apparently the result of a combination of ignorance on the part of its writer JKB1183 and elements of an official cover-up painting the Project Pedigree escapees as Furies, but the amount of classified information within the report - however distorted - implies the involvement of an ISDF whistleblower. The leak had been online for less than twelve hours when they were brought to the attention of Armond Braddock, who forwarded a copy to Major Bergeson in a high-priority memo with an order to "terminate the source of the site". Contents The leak briefly describes the events preceding the NSDF/CCA war, including the early history of the human use of biometal following the Bering Strait meteor shower. Its description of the material is fanciful - it at one point describes the material as having a soul - but its descriptions of its material memory and shapeshifting properties, while rudimentary, are accurate. The advancements promised by the material were such that research and development efforts soon ran out of resources, leading the USA and USSR to explore space in search of more. The leak incorrectly claims that the cold war secretly broke out into combat on Earth before the formation of the NSDF, and that the CCA was formed as a response to the secret American agency, but is correct in its assessment that the Space Race was a cover up for both nations' attempts to probe the solar system for further biometal. It claims that experiments continued on Earth as the war spread, amongst them those of Commander Armond Braddock of the NSDF. Braddock's experiments took the step of combining biometal with human flesh in the attempt to create super-soldiers in what was dubbed Project Pedigree, which was given unprecedented access to resources. The leak claims that the Black Dog Squadron, under the command of Lieutenant Frank Burns, were brought in as subjects in the final stages, and that they were fused directly into biometal ships before being returned to combat as the Furies to devastate CCA forces on Europa. Burns eventually led the "Furies" in a rebellion, destroying the facilities and equipment that had made Project Pedigree possible. In retaliation, Braddock united the NSDF and CCA to defeat the renegade Pedigree subjects and force them off the planet and into the fringes of the solar system, where they were believed destroyed and Braddock was celebrated as a hero. Braddock took advantage of this situation and a resultant promotion to General to spearhead the formation of the ISDF, formalizing the alliance between the American and Soviet forces and tasking it to deal with future alien threats. At the same time the AAN was formed to handle the distribution of biometal among Earth nations and mediate in terrestrial disputes. As the AAN occupied itself with terrestrial matters Braddock secretly channeled funds from the ISDF in order to construct Cerberus Base on Pluto while official ISDF operations launched probes to police the outer edges of the system. Some years later, the destruction of Voyager 2 by an "fierce, unknown enemy" coincides with an attack on Cerberus Base. With his secret operations revealed, Braddock is forced to deploy troops to respond. Continuity The Secret History leak makes several claims which are inconsistent with the narratives of other entries in the series. These mistakes were originally widely interpreted as an attempt to retcon the events of Battlezone prior to Combat Commander, but the fact that the leak fails to maintain consistency with itself or the other contents of the Battlezone II Manual suggest that it is in fact an application of unreliable narration. *The NSDF and CCA were formed during the 1950s without either agency knowing of the other. Even after the NSDF discovered the existence of the CCA they did not encounter each other on the field of battle until the events of Red Arrival, when both forces had already landed on the moon in number. *Project Pedigree is described has occurring on Earth, where biometal is extremely scarce, with subjects who were known to have been deployed in the Jovian system both immediately before and immediately after their involvement. *Post-augmentation, the Project Pedigree subjects are repeatedly referred to as "Furies". *The NSDF and CCA are described as uniting on Earth against the renegade Project Pedigree subjects rather than on Titan against the Furies. *The formation of the ISDF is described as occurring after the defeat of the Pedigree subjects, while logs from the Battle at Long Ravine indicate that the ISDF had already formed by this time. Notes *The euphemistic language in Braddock's memo is ambiguous. At first glance it appears to the reader that Bergeson's orders are to remove the site from the internet, but Braddock's application of black-ops hit squads suggest that Braddock may have ordered the execution of the individual or individuals responsible for the leak under charges of planetary treason. *Braddock's memo to Bergeson, with the attached contents of the leak, were reproduced in the introductory section of the Battlezone II Manual modeled after the ISDF Field Manual. Given the highly sensitive and incriminating nature of the information contained within the leak, however inaccurate it may be, it seems unlikely that the memo was published in the Field Manual itself. *Braddock's manipulation of the official story surrounding Project Pedigree, the origins of the Scions and their misrepresentation as Furies implies he may actually have known about, encouraged, or even been directly responsible for the leak. Appearances *pandemicstudios.com *Battlezone II Manual